I've had lots of encounters with rattlers and they really keep to their own business. People who get bitten are generally those who are interfering with the snakes, or hiking along not paying attention to where they put their hands and feet.

I like that the snakes eat vermin. That is their job.

I even have a few spiders in the ceiling corners of my home that I simply leave alone. I make a deal with them. I say to them, "stay up there and eat pesky insects, and you are welcome to stay."

It seems to work just fine. I like the idea of having a small ecosystem in my abode.